SAN Miguel Beer pounced on three big turnovers by Ginebra in the endgame, pulling off a 91-85 victory and snaring its third straight PBA Philippine Cup crown Sunday night at the Araneta Coliseum.
The Beermen refused to give the lead to the Gin Kings after LA Tenorio pushed Ginebra close, 83-84, with his triple in the last 2:28.
A putback by Junemar Fajardo, a charity from Alex Cabagnot and a jumper off Chris Ross’ rebound play during the Kings' spate of turnovers moved the Beermen up by six, 89-83, with 47 ticks left.
As 20,2017 fans watched, the Beermen then finished off the Kings in five games for a 4-1 victory in their title series.
Fajardo again powered the Beermen with a team-high 21 points to go with six boards, two assists and a block, while Arwind Santos also had 21 markers on an 8-of-11 shooting clip.
Ross chipped in 12 points, 10 assists, and eight rebounds for the Beermen’s cause and was aptly named MVP of the title series.
The Beermen also earned the distinction of becoming the first team to take home the Perpetual Trophy since TNT KaTropa dominated the all-Filipino tournaments from 2011 to 2013.
